Raducanu to make return on Friday at Indian Wells

[October 07, 2021] (Reuters) - British teenager Emma Raducanu will return to competition for the first time since her improbable victory at the U.S. Open in her opening match of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Friday.

British tennis player Emma Raducanu poses during the world premiere of the new James Bond film "No Time To Die" at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain, September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

The 18-year-old Raducanu, whose U.S. Open triumph last month made her the first qualifier to capture a Grand Slam title, will play at 6:00 p.m. PT (0100 GMT) followed by a match featuring compatriot Andy Murray.

Raducanu, who is the 17th seed at the hardcourt event, received a first-round bye and will face either Colombia's Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, a 19-year-old ranked 71st in the world, or Aliaksandra Sasnovich, a 27-year-old Belarusian ranked 100th.

In her last match, Raducanu beat Canada's Leylah Fernandez in a battle of two teenagers, capping a remarkable run in New York where she won 10 straight matches -- including three in qualifying to reach the main draw -- without dropping a set.

The victory made Raducanu the first British woman in 44 years to win a Grand Slam title.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)

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